More than game: It’s a Selanne-bration

The Ducks' Teemu Selanne tosses pucks into the stands before the game against Jokerit Helsinki Tuesday at Hartwall Areena. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE ANAHEIM DUCKS

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Three Ducks fans from Finland get a close up view of their favorite team during pregame warmups Tuesday night in Helsinki. TEXT AND PHOTO BY JEFF MILLER, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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The souvenir stands inside Hartwall Areena offered plenty of items from the visiting team. TEXT AND PHOTO BY JEFF MILLER, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Yes, even this giant Ducks player made the trip overseas. TEXT AND PHOTO BY JEFF MILLER, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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A family of Fins checks out the poster of Selanne hanging on the side of Hartwall Areena. TEXT AND PHOTO BY JEFF MILLER, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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The fans arrived with all sorts of Selanne jerseys from over the years. TEXT AND PHOTO BY JEFF MILLER, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Here's Winnipeg... TEXT AND PHOTO BY JEFF MILLER, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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And Jokerit, the Helsinki team Selanne played for before beginning his NHL career... TEXT AND PHOTO BY JEFF MILLER, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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And, of course, a version with which Ducks fans are more familiar. TEXT AND PHOTO BY JEFF MILLER, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Gary and Tiffany Lowe of Fullerton and the man of the hour...or week, actually. TEXT AND PHOTO BY JEFF MILLER, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Before the game, the TVs on the concourse showed videos of Selanne's time with Jokerit. Yes, that's him on the screen, wearing the, ah, interesting hat. TEXT AND PHOTO BY JEFF MILLER, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Tim and Teresa Rodney of Fountain Valley also made the trip to watch their Ducks. TEXT AND PHOTO BY JEFF MILLER, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Left to right: Jarri Kurri, Jokerit team owner and chairman Harry Harkimo and the Ducks' Teemu Selanne take part in a pregame ceremony before the game between the Anaheim Ducks and Jokerit Helsinski. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE DUCKS

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The Anaheim Ducks stand on the ice before the game against Jokerit Helsinski Tuesday at Hartwall Areena in Helsinski, Finland PHOTO COURTESY OF THE ANAHEIM DUCKS

The Ducks' Teemu Selanne tosses pucks into the stands before the game against Jokerit Helsinki Tuesday at Hartwall Areena. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE ANAHEIM DUCKS

HELSINKI, FINLAND – When the game and the ceremony and the cheering had ended, this is how Teemu Selanne ended the night:

But only after first sending a young girl away shrieking with delight because he posed with her for a picture.

Only after a man in a Ducks jersey, desperate just to get close to Selanne, didn't notice half of his body was being closed in a gate by a security guard assigned to keep the fans corralled.

Only after a kid so in need of an autograph, but with nothing for Selanne to sign, that he removed one of his shoes and handed it to Teemu as he hopped on one leg.

Only then did Selanne grab a man's cell phone and abruptly begin a conversation with the person on the other end of the line.

So, who were you talking to, Teemu?

"A fan," he said, beaming. "Just an old fan."

Now, that's making an impact as an athlete, when you're reaching out and tickling the hearts of people who weren't even at the game.

It was that sort of night here Tuesday, at a place called Hartwall Areena, where the Ducks played their final exhibition against Selanne's old hometown team, Jokerit.

It was a hockey game lost in a love affair.

"For sure it wasn't just a normal warm-up," said Selanne, who broke up his pregame routine by flipping pucks over the glass and into the reaching hands of his followers. "It was special. I tried to find some familiar faces in the stands. It was fun. This is exactly what I was expecting."

They showed up wearing every edition of Selanne jersey – from No. 13 to No. 8, from Jokerit to Winnipeg to the Finnish national team to the Ducks, the current version to the Disney-designed cartoon ones.

For those arriving out of uniform, Selanne sweaters were available in the arena souvenir shops. Cost: 95 Euro or $126 US.

On the concourse before the game, they played videos of Selanne's days with Jokerit, a time when, during certain periods, he wore a hairstyle dangerously close to a mullet.

Meanwhile, inside the arena, on the big video boards over center ice, the images were of Selanne playing – and scoring, always scoring – for the Ducks.

The game, which meant nothing and everything all at once, was televised locally. Tickets allotted to the players were $200 each, more than double what they cost for a typical NHL game.

"The reception I got was amazing," fellow Finn Saku Koivu said. "The reception he got, you were able to really feel that appreciation they have for him here."

Every player from both teams already had been introduced, and when we say already we mean way already. They did the introductions, in fact, after warm-ups, when no one was on the ice.

When the teams returned for the start of the game, that's when the public address announcer got around to formally introducing the Ducks' three Finns.

So, with every other player on the ice, standing at the respective blue lines...

First, "No. 32, Toni Lydman," who, because of a shoulder injury, didn't dress for the game. The applause was polite.

And then, "No. 8, Teeeeemu Selanneeeee!" Selanne stepped onto the ice, acknowledging the crowd as he made a quick arc. He would have to acknowledge the crowd two more times before the joyous noise finally ceased.

"That was the coolest thing," Selanne said later. "To hear that when I got on the ice. Finnish people aren't known for showing much emotion in public. That was unusual. That's what made it so special."

Jokerit officials then formally inducted Selanne and fellow local legend Jari Kurri into what we believe they're calling the "Membership Club." We're not certain of the name because, before Tuesday night, the thing didn't even exist; it was invented just for this occasion.

So, finally, after two full days in Finland and much of a third, the Selanne-bration was ready to take the form of actual hockey. And what line did Coach Randy Carlyle decide to start?

Come on, did he really have a decision to make? It was Koivu, flanked by Selanne and Jason Blake.

The Ducks eventually won the game in overtime, 4-3, a final score no one will remember on a night few will forget.

After the first period, the p.a. man walked to center ice, where he called for Selanne to join him. He then conducted an interview for the crowd's benefit. All the words were in Finnish – meaning we have no idea what was said – but the cheering of the fans needed no translation.

Teeeeemu Selanneeeee played a home game Tuesday night, 5,600 miles away from Honda Center.

If you don't believe us, just ask the adoring sellout crowd that attended. Or grab the phone yourself and ask the one guy who didn't.

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